Achiote Marinated Pork Tenderloin Recipes

ACHIOTE MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• Mix all marinade ingredients in a blender, the marinade should taste a bit salty.
• Put the pork in a large Ziploc bag and pour over the marinade. Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add two pork loins and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and transfer to a sheet tray. Brown the other two tenderloins. If you don't have a large pan you can do one at a time or brown them on the grill.
• Finish cooking in the oven another 10 to 15 minutes.

HERB-MARINATED PORK TENDERLOINS

Steps:

• Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

ACHIOTE MARINATED PORK LOIN WITH PULLED PORK "TAMALES" HOISIN-KEY LIME SYRUP

Steps:

• In a container that will hold the pork loin, mix the sugar, salt, peppercorn and 6 cups water. Add the pork and cover with more water if necessary. Let brine overnight in the fridge. Remove pork and rinse. Pat dry and set aside. Clean out same container and mix the thyme, garlic, achiote, wine and oil. Add the pork and smother with the marinade. Let stand overnight, turning once. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove pork from marinade and wipe off excess. Season with salt and pepper. In a hot oven-proof skillet coated with canola oil, sear the pork on all sides until brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to oven and roast for about 20 minutes. Go for an internal temperature around 150 degrees for medium. The pork should remain pink. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
• For the 'tamales': Pre-heat a large casserole or stock pot. On a plate, mix the cumin, coriander, chile, pepper and sugar. Salt the pieces of pork and season well with the spice mix. Coat the pot with oil and brown the pork on both sides, about 12 minutes. Wipe out pot and coat again with oil. Brown the onions and garlic, about 8 minutes. Deglaze with wine and add the soy, chipotle, bay and cover with water. Check for seasoning. Bring to a boil and let simmer 4 hours until the meat is very soft. Carefully pull out pork and bay leaves. Blend the cooking liquid with a hand blender and check for seasoning. When pork is cool enough to touch, shred the pork by hand. In a large bowl, take 6 cups of shredded pork and mix with the rice, red bells, scallion whites and cilantro. Add the sauce, a small ladle at a time just to moisten the mix. Season and check. Lay the leaves shiny side down, and place 1 cup of filling on each. Wrap by bringing the bottom up first, fold in the sides underneath, then continue folding forward. The package should end up rectangular shaped. Place in a hot steamer for 10 minutes or until piping hot.
• For the syrup: Heat a saute pan to medium heat and an coat with 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Brown shallots, garlic and ginger, about 5 minutes. Add hoisin and saute 3 minutes. Add juice and white pepper. Scrape into a blender and puree all. With blender running, slowly add oil until smooth and emulsified. Check for seasoning.
• Plating: Zig-zag the hoisin syrup and chile oil. Sprinkle the scallion greens around. Place 1 tamale and slice open. Surround with the pork slices.

ACHIOTE PORK TORTA - (SANDWICHES)

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, vinegar, juices, salt, and cumin. Pulse until well combined. Crumble in the achiote and pulse to combine into a very soft paste; add more vinegar by the tablespoon to loosen it up if necessary. Blend in the cilantro.
• Cut the meat into lenghtwise slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Lay the meat between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness of 1/4 inch. Coat the slices generously with the paste and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and no more than 12 hours.
• Half an hour before cooking, clrean the grill thoroughly with a brush and wipe it down with an oil-dampened rag. Preheat the grill on high.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and shake off as much of the paste as possible. Place the meat on the grill, close the lid, and grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, checking often to make sure the meat doesn't burn or cook too quickly; if it does, move it to a cooler part of the grill. The meat is done perfectly when it has an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Do not overcook or the meat will dry out. (I used my George Foreman grill and just made sure to wipe it with a paper towel between batches) Set the meat aside, loosely covered with foil.
• To serve, split the rolls and toast on the grill, then layer from the bottom up: cheese, meat, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, onion, jalapenos, and salsa. Skewer with a couple of toothpicks and cut in half.

EASY MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Place the pork loin in a large resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Transfer the pork loin to a baking dish; pour marinade over the pork.
• Cook in the preheated oven until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).